


Slumber Party Day

by mcschnuggles



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, CGRE - Caregiver/Age Regressor, Caregiver!Tamaki, Gen, Nonbinary Haruhi, Regressing!Kyouya, Stuffed Toys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29637507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcschnuggles/pseuds/mcschnuggles
Summary: It's a theme day at the host club! If only the theme didn't make Kyoya feel so ridiculously vulnerable.
Relationships: Ootori Kyouya & Suoh Tamaki
Comments: 2
Kudos: 44





	Slumber Party Day

**Author's Note:**

> A piece for a friend!

Slumber Party Day.

A special, reservation-only, one-day event being sponsored by the Host Club.

It’s probably the most ridiculous idea they’ve ever had, and that’s saying something. However, it wasn’t Kyoya’s choice, aside from it being one day only. Honey-senpai had begged him for this, and with enough pressuring from the others—as well as a dramatic amount of tears—Kyoya had no choice but to go along with it.

But Kyoya is the only one that thinks this way. Honey couldn’t be more in his element, surrounded by stuffed animals and soft blankets and snacks, and while Mori-senpai is as unreadable as ever, Kyoya is sure that he’s happy so long as Honey is happy.

And while Haruhi looks out of their element, the twins are carefully cajoling them into enjoying themself. No doubt that having a bunch of girls croon over them will help, and he has no doubts the twins are _already_ having far too much fun.

Kyoya keeps a good distance from the others, trying to focus his energy on bookkeeping. He’s been looking over the same set of numbers for the past ten minutes, but it’s easier than looking up at the money sink they have planned for the day.

Honestly, what girl would want this? It’s so different from what they usually do, so heavily skewed toward one demographic, that it’s bound to fail. As popular as Honey is, neither he nor any single member of the host club can carry their income alone. Especially with how much money they’re sinking into props.

“I’m surprised Honey-senpai is letting you keep that,” Tamaki says. He keeps his teddy bear tucked into the crook of his arm, his hair perfectly tousled. At least he’s found some way to play this ridiculous theme to his advantage.

“Only until the doors officially open,” Kyoya answers. It’s a fight to keep the note of exasperation out of his voice. Does Honey realize this aesthetic is completely contrary to his nature? The cool and cute archetypes are polar opposites, so he either has to drop his gimmick completely or stick out like a sore thumb. “You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“I’d never dream of passing up a chance to change into my PJs early,” Tamaki jokes.

Kyoya has to keep from rolling his eyes. There’s a fine line between acting in the best interests of the host club and pure childishness, and Tamaki sits so far over the line that it should be considered trespassing.

Honey insisted they all have plushies, as well as a large selection for guests to choose from (for an additional fee, of course). Honey had his rabbit, Tamaki had his own bear, and the others were assigned appropriate stuffies. Mori was assigned a dog, while the twins were given identical foxes. Haruhi was given their choice between a unicorn or a panda, and Kyoya was assigned a raven. Needless to say, he “accidentally” left it behind one of the couches.

“Five minutes until the doors open!” Kyoya reminds everyone.

“Kyo-chan!” Honey-senpai scurries over, his face contorted in a pout. “Where’s your plushie?”

Kyoya’s smile twitches. “I’m so sorry, Honey-senpai. I must have misplaced it when I was running numbers.”

Honey’s frown deepens, tinged with suspicion, but before he can say anything else, Hikaru and Kaoru appear, the extra plushie in hand.

“Found him!” Kaoru says. “Isn’t that lucky?”

“Very,” Kyoya agrees, speaking through half-gritted teeth.

“Be very careful not to lose Kaw-chan again, okay?” Honey says, and it takes everything in Kyoya not to snap back. He doesn’t take well to being talked down to, especially for losing a stuffed animal. He wasn’t this patronized when he was a child!

Kyoya tries not to grimace as his record book is taken and replaced with a raven plush. If his father could see him now…

The girls arrive fifteen minutes later than usual, already changed into their pajamas. Some of the girls are carrying in plushies of their own, but quite a few are asking for the boys to help them pick one out. Kyoya can’t help being impressed. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Kyoya hangs back, almost certain he’ll only get requested a handful of times. As expected, the girls are flocking to the cute types. Honey and Haruhi have the largest crowds Kyoya has ever seen of them, and while the twins and Tamaki have slightly below-average groups, all it takes is a little working of their charm to get the girls warmed up to them.

“Kyoya-senpai?” A girl approaches him. She’s wearing an oversized hoodie and a nervous smile, so she must be a newcomer. “A few of us were wondering if you’d like to watch a movie with us? Haruhi suggested it. He’s even getting us commoner popcorn!”

Finally, something he’s familiar with. Kyoya flashes her a charming smile, trying to look as cool as he can while still holding a stuffed raven. “It would be my absolute honor, mademoiselle.”

He follows the shy-looking girl over to an unused corner, where Haruhi is teaching the girls how to put together a blanket fort. It’s utterly juvenile, especially since they have that stuffed unicorn in one hand, but Haruhi smiles at him as if nothing is odd about it.

“Hey, Kyoya-senpai! Wanna help me with the blanket fort?”

Of course he doesn’t. But instead of saying that, he simply flashes a smile. “Well, I’m always willing to learn something new.”

Haruhi walks him through the steps while the girls sit enraptured. They show him how to bunch up the blankets they’ll be lying on so it’ll be extra comfy, how to drape the extras between the TV and the back of the couch so the outside light doesn’t mess with their viewing experience, and most importantly, where to sit so they and Kyoya can sit beside as many of their guests as possible.

Kyoya tries not to groan out loud at the selection Honey has chosen for them. While he sees a couple of romantic comedies, what draws the girls’ attention is the large array of kids movies. As set in his ways as Honey may be, he does know what girls want, and the movie selections reflect as much.

“Have you seen this movie before, Kyoya-senpai?” Another girl asks, holding up the case to a kids movie that Kyoya has most definitely not seen.

“I can’t say that I have, but that will only make the experience with you that much more memorable, don’t you think?”

At least he hasn’t lost his touch, seeing how the girls squeal with delight at his response.

He lets two of the girls snuggle against him, a head on each shoulder. Normally he wouldn’t let them so close—he’s never been one for physical contact—but considering their theme, he finds it most prudent to allow an exception for the day.

The movie starts, almost immediately boring him with its bright colors and cutesy designs. He’s never been one for movies anyway, but this one in particular is practically putting him to sleep.

At least their customers are happy. The girls murmur ever so often, pointing out plot points they remember or characters they had crushes on, and with the stuffed animal in his arms, he daresay he almost feels cozy.

It probably wouldn’t hurt to rest his eyes.

It’d only be for a few minutes…

~

“He looks so cute!”

“Shh-shh! Don’t wake him!”

Despite the hushed words, Kyoya blinks awake. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he supposes his late nights have finally caught up with him.

The setting sun shines through the windows, casting light on his face. The blanket fort sits in tatters around him, as if someone had carefully deconstructed it without wanting to wake him. The raven plush sits heavy in his arms, almost mocking him in the way that it sits nestled against his chest. He hadn’t been cuddling with the wretched thing, had he?

A glance up confirms his worst fears. The rest of the host club towers over him, watching him with varying looks of fondness.

_They don’t take you seriously anymore_ , a voice in the back of his mind hisses.

“Watch out, Honey-senpai,” Hikaru says. “I think Kyoya-senpai might be gunning for your spot as the boy lolita type.”

Scowling, Kyoya sits up. The rational half of his brain is telling him to drop the raven that still sits comfortably in his grasp, but for whatever reason, he can’t force himself to let go. He hadn’t been asleep for that long, so why does everything feel so fuzzy?

“Are you okay, Kyoya-senpai?” Haruhi asks. Even they can’t hide the condescending smile. Like Kyoya is _cute_. “You must’ve been really tired to fall asleep like that.”

“You really just let me sleep?”

Haruhi blinks. “Well… yeah. You seemed tired. Plus, the girls didn’t mind. They thought it was cute.”

Kyoya can’t believe what he’s hearing. They thought he was _cute?_ Does Haruhi even realize what they’re saying? This could spell disaster for his future numbers as a host—not to mention the damage it’s already doing to his pride.

Tamaki puts a hand to his chin, his expression unreadable. “Have you been sleeping alright, Kyoya? Cute as it may be, it’s not like you to doze off like that.”

Kyoya reels back. Tamaki too? God, that word just makes him want to gag. He is by no means cute. “I’m _fine_ ,” he grits out. “It was a fluke and it will _not_ happen again.”

“Hey, it’s no big deal Kyo-chan!” Honey chirps. When he plops down by Kyoya’s side, Kyoya can only see his future. Being “the cute one,” needing top tier martial arts skills to even be taken seriously. “We can share! You’ll have to find someone else to give you piggyback rides, though, because I don’t share Takashi.”

He’s teasing, and Kyoya knows this, but for some reason, it only registers as mockery. His face burns. “Absolutely not!”

Kaoru snorts, nudging Hikaru with his elbow. “Aww, he gets fussy after naps too!” he says, and they both dissolve into snickers.

Something snaps in Kyoya. He bolts to his feet, trying his best to look intimidating when he feels like a child. “Will you two _stop?_ ”

Maybe he doesn’t deserve the label of the “cool type” anyway, if it’s so easy for him to lose his head. Why is it so easy to snap? He’s dealt with the twins’ teasing many times before, but it’s never made him react like this, never made him _hurt_ like this.

“Hey, take it easy, Kyoya-senpai,” Hikaru says, holding up his hands in defense.

“Yeah, we were just joking,” Kaoru adds. His eyes stray tellingly to the raven plush, still tight against Kyoya’s chest, and while he doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t need to.

“Just joking?” The ugly, mean part of Kyoya revels in the fact that he can still strike fear with just a look. It’s only a matter of time, though, and it’s all _their fault_. “My reputation, the financial future of the host club—”

Kyoya cuts himself off. It’s not worth it, none of this is. And he’s not just saying that because of the tears stinging his eyes. He needs out of this room, away from the watching eyes.

He flees to the backroom, where everyone’s bags are. Not that smart of an idea considering he doesn’t want to see them, but he wants to see the people outside less. At least here he has the illusion that he can hide.

He hides his face in his knees, so while he hears the approaching footsteps, he doesn’t know who it is until they speak. “Kyoya?”

“Go away.” Kyoya’s response is so automatic that he forgets who he’s talking to. He could punch Tamaki in the face and he’d still stick around.

“We don’t have to talk, but I’m not leaving you alone either.” Tamaki crouches opposite of him, keeping a slight yet respectable distance between them. “I told all the others to go home. They were really concerned about you, bud.”

“Don’t you dare patronize me,” Kyoya snaps, which he knows is rich. Curled up in a corner, hiding from his friends with a _plushie_ tucked against his chest, he’s practically begging to be patronized.

Tamaki doesn’t acknowledge that, instead going for an obvious distraction. “That’s a nice plushie, Kyoya. Are you planning to keep him?”

Kyoya shrugs, something he’d never do if he weren’t feeling so off-kilter. It doesn’t feel like he has much of a choice anymore. Against his will, he’s gotten attached to the stupid thing. When did he become so sentimental, so sensitive? He didn’t even have a stuffed animal he was this attached to as a child. Come to think of it, he’s pretty sure he never had one at all. Not that he needed it. His father had expected him to be mature, and Kyoya was more than happy to oblige.

So why is it that he wants nothing more than to finish watching that ridiculous movie while holding his childish toy?

“Do you want me to get the twins to apologize to you?” Tamaki asks softly. “That wasn’t very nice what they said.”

Kyoya doesn’t speak. The tightness in his throat makes sure of that. It wasn’t very nice, but he’s not a baby. He doesn’t need Tamaki to grab them by the ear and make them apologize.

“I know,” Tamaki croons, and something in Kyoya just wants to melt. Why is Tamaki speaking in that voice so soothing?

Tamaki reaches out to him, and Kyoya winces, realizing only a second later that Tamaki was just brushing the stray hairs from his forehead.

Tamaki frowns, but neither of them say anything about it. Kyoya’s father has never been selective about the time or place he chooses to backhand his children, and Tamaki knows better than anyone that this is a learned behavior.

“It’s alright to be vulnerable, you know,” Tamaki says. “Neither I nor the rest of the Host Club think any less of you.” He flashes a princely big brother smile. “In fact, I think it’s pretty cute.”

_That’s the problem_ , Kyoya thinks. It is a problem, isn’t it? The fuzziness of sleep has drained away, replaced with an aching anxiety in his chest.

He reaches out a shaky hand, unsure of what he’s about to do, but his resolve weakens when he sees the way Tamaki goes stock still.

In the back of his mind, he’s aware that Tamaki is trying not to startle him, but for whatever reason, those logical conclusions aren’t making the right connections in his brain, and he’s instead convinced that Tamaki doesn’t want to be touched.

His fingers curl into Tamaki’s sleeve, a silent request for him not to go.

“That’s okay,” Tamaki says. “We can just stay like this for a bit.”

He shuffles a little closer, so Kyoya could pull him into a hug if he were so inclined. Not that he would, but the option is nice to have. How in the world did Tamaki ever get so good at this?

Tamaki flashes another princely big brother smile, this one softer and unbelievably soothing. “Take as much time as you need.”

**Author's Note:**

> mcschnuggles.tumblr.com


End file.
